Microsoft is changing its entire strategy. The company announced its new version of Office 2010 will be accessible for free. What does it mean? All your office’s software like Word, Excel, PowerPoint which you use every day, will be available from any browsers. The version will be lightweight.

It is a real upheaval that wants to make its delay in relation to Google. Let me remind you that Google launched in 2006 its own Google Documents, a free service.

Microsoft lost web and search engines’ war against Google. Moreover its operating system Windows Vista disappointed a lot. But Microsoft stays the leader in this field. In 2009, it earns $9.3 billion.

The installation of main software seems to be inevitable and it cost you at least $200. Now, a lot of users decide to make economy and use only Google Documents.

Another competitor appeared: Open Office.  Even French administration is using this free and safe system.

To prove its effectiveness, Microsoft began the competition with Google to launch Bing against Google search engine, its own search engine, which is meeting a large success. It wants to continue with Office 2010.

Some analysts think it as a risky gamble. In fact, Microsoft will offer for free its products that it is still succeeding in buying. The goal is to head users for using Bing.

The question is: who will be the winner?

Microsoft research center has come up with a new game creating tool christened as “Kodu” which enables users to create games of their taste. No programming knowledge is required to use Kodu. Just following the simple instructions given by Microsoft is enough to build your game.

Video games will lose its grace once it has been played for several times. So the research team at Microsoft bring forth with a new innovation in the game world. Now, video game lovers can give life to their imaginary games in this virtual world and start playing them.

Kodu has easy-to-use game creation techniques that help non-programmers build personal playgrounds, with the help of an Xbox 360 controller. The basic idea is that players can choose characters from a variety of visual building blocks and set special effects for selected character in order to develop their own unique creation.

“We’ve done everything possible to make sure that creating a Kodu playground is not only easy, but that it is also fun and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds,” principal program manager for Microsoft Research and lead Kodu designer, Matt MacLaurin said. “Since Kodu ’s interface is intuitive and prevents common programming mistakes, we’re making it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of game creation.”

In the Kodu blog, the team claims that the tool is headed into the final stages of production and scheduled for a release before the end of the month.

Great News for computer users: Microsoft is getting ready to release its long-anticipated free anti-virus service for PCs. A Microsoft spokesman said that beta version of software will be soon available in its website.

Microsoft has said, “Morro will offer basic features for fighting a wide range of viruses, which would likely make it comparable to low-end consumer products from Symantec and McAfee that cost about $40 per year”.

The release of Morro may affect sale of its competitive products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc. But the officials from respective companies do not see Morro as a threat.

“Microsoft’s free product is basically a stripped down version of the OneCare product Microsoft pulled from the shelves,” said Symantec Consumer division president Janice Chaffin. “A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected.”

Joris Evers, a spokesman for No. 2 security software maker McAfee said “On a level playing field, we are confident in our ability to compete with anyone who might enter the marketplace.”

On 18/05/2009, Microsoft said that the company has struck a deal to bring Netflix’s streaming movie service to Windows Media Center

Microsoft has also said in a statement, “We’re building on our broader vision to alleviate the need to jump from Web site to Web site to find TV shows, movies, sports and news. With Windows Media Center, (users) can now find it in one place.”

Just install Media Center plug-in MyNetfix and start watching videos directly through Windows Media center without going through your browser. Also you can tackle all your Netfix Management from the comfort of your couch.

Microsoft unveiled windows live messenger web toolkit which helps webmasters to add chat feature their site. Any one can use this functions on there website, the only requirement is to have an account in Windows live messenger. Through this they can connect to 320 million active windows messenger users.

This live messenger tool kit helps in addition of a social element to any website and attracts more visitors. Instead of searching people with similar interest in various social networking sites, using the chat you can form a community.